Improvement w packings from asbestus and other fibrous minerals



y TES To `all '1r/omitmug/concern: l

Be itl known that I, CHASE-A. STEVENS, of

` the city of N ew York, in the: county and State of New York, have 'invented a new and Improved MineralwPaeking; and I do hereby ,l declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exactwlescription thereof, which will enable 1 `others skilled in the art to make and `use the "same, `reference being* had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification.

' Thisinvention relates to improvements in packing for stutlng-boxes of steam-engines, ,y pumps, and the like, made of pure asbestus or other mineraliber; and `it consists in a,` packing et' the fiber of such substance in the o form `of ropes or cords, oriu flat or square nform, in anylengths and sizes, made by com- `compressing the ber in powerful compressing' y apparatus, the said substances being treated 3` `either mechanicallyby breaking, picking', and such other operations as are employed; `in reducing hemp and `other'vegetable or animal `fibers for reducing it to a ne flocky condition, and expelling the silex and other hard or gritty substances,to renderit suitablefor use in contact with the working surfaces of the several parts of machinery forwhich such packing ,g `is required,asdeseribed in my patent No. l l 101,394 of illlarch 29, 1570, or tl'ieljsaidibrens condition mty be produced by the chemical proeessdescrilied in an application for a pat` ent made by me and bearing cvcndate llerewith, or byany process by which the essential l condition of freedom from any grittymatter `maybeproduced. f This liber is then wrought into the structuresrequired, in the form ot' a rope` or other equivalent form, in powerful compressing apparatus adapted to compress it to suoli extent that `it will retain its shape by'adhesion, in which `condition the natural expansive quality ofthe fiber will so act, when the packing has been applied and is subjected to the action ot' theworliing parts, as to. cause it to swell andl compensate for any wear that may take place, and keep the stufing-box tight without readiustment ot' the glands for a much longer period than any other packing L will do. This invention also consists in combinin g with the aforesaid packing longitudinal f cordso' animal or vegetableibcaor itnmy i cnksn A. srnvnss, oF Nnwvromgxrr., ssIeNon 'ro ABIJA i y son, 0F BOSTON?,

MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENHN PficKlNes FROM Asrsius AND OTHER Flousnmrnns.

` p Specification forming prt of Letters Patent No. ll .12,647, daicd March 14,1r7l.

be spun threads of the same material, for imparting tensile strength, the said thread being bedded in the surface' of the packing while the compressing of the ber is goingk on and also in combining with the said packing, in such eases as may require it, exterior bindingthreads for preventing the ber from expanding after being compressed and being used,

.the said threads being 'wound on spirally or braided, or 'otherwise arranged as may be found best;- or the ropes `of asbestnsliber, made as before stated, may be covered vwith canvas or muslin, or any other suitable fabric or "materiaL Figures 1 and 2 are, sections of my improved packing, made in the form ot' rope, and showing different arrangements of the threads for imparting tensile strength. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same;v and Fig.V 4 represents, in sideview and section, the packing covered with canvas.

Similarvletters of .reference indicate corre spending parts.

A is the compressed mineral ber of asbesa tus, al'nianthus, hornblcnde, or the iike,which is rst reduced to a fine, loose, and iockycondition, and is then subjected to the action of any suitable compressing apparatus,by' which it'may be wrought into the form of ropes or -liat or square bars, and have considerable density, sufiicient to enable me to make use of it for packing without covering it. For this purpose I prefer to employ the compress ing-machine,,invented by myself and Isaac Iiindslcy, which is the subject of an applica tion for Letters 'Patent bearing even date herewith; but I may employ other apparatus,

or i'n some cases it may be donc by hand. B represents the longitmlinalcords of any strong liber, whicl1,wlicn a stronger packing is required, I combine with the said compressed mineral liber yto give it tensile strength. These cords are supplied with the loose ber to the .compressing apparatus, and fed along with it,

so` as to be worked into and below the surface `ot' the packing by the compressing apparatus while Vthe mineral liber is being compressed.

.In Fig.; l thesethreads are represented parallel with the axis of the condensed ber, but they may bc caused to take the `forni or direc- H mena` nntions represented at B', Fig. 2, or they may be'applied in any manner equivalent to these. In any Vcase these cords will be so embedded in the ber that the surface of the packing will not be materially altered from the character of the pure ber by them. C represents the binding-threads, with which I bind the packing together to prevent it from expanding o r separating laterally, which threads or cords are preferably Wound on as the packing is leaving the compressing apparatus, and may be done by any suitable means, and as close together as may be needed for the purpose. This binding; is not, however, needed in all cases, and, for many uses of the packing, may be dispensed with altogether, which I propose to do. The natural expansion of the compressed packing has the quality of keeping the box tight, which is one of the objects of compressing it.

I do not claim covering fibrous rope-packing with braid-wire, 86e., as that is shown in patent of Ivoy B. andVilliam H. Miller, dated April 4,1865, and numbered 47,11%),which is composed of vegetable ber in the form of rope,

and covered with braid-Wire.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. Packing of asbestus. or other mineral fiber, made in the form of a rope, or in Octagonal, square, Vor fiat form, by compressing the fiber, prepared in a ilocky state, and freed from silex and other gritty matter, into a dense and adhesive structure, substantially as specified.

2. Packing of asbetus or other mineral fiber, prepared in a ocky condition, and freed from silex or other gritty matter, compressed into the form of rope, or square or flat form, and having the strengthening-cords B o'r embedded :in the surface, and arranged either parallel, spirally, or braided on, all substantially as specified.

3. Packing of asbestus or other 'mineral ber, prepared in a ockystate, and freed from silex or other gritty matter, compressed into the form of rope, or square or flat form, and having the strengthening-cords B or B embedded in the surface, as described, and also having the binding thread or cord C, all substantially as specied.

4. Packing of asbestus or otherl mineral ber, prepared in a ocky state, and freed from silex or other gritty matter, made into the form of a compressed rope or other like structure, covered with canvas or muslin or any other equivalent fabric or material, substantially as specified.

YVitnesses: A

GEQW. INIABEE, ALEX. F. Renners.

C. A. STEVENS. 

